Sweet Potato and Brown Butter Snacking Cake
Updated Sept. 30, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 ¼ hours, plus cooling
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ⅔cup/130 grams vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1¼cups/160 grams all-purpose flour
- 1tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼teaspoon baking soda
- ¼teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
- ⅓cup/106 grams maple syrup
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
- 1½cups/180 grams grated peeled sweet potato (from 1 large sweet potato)
- 1cup/115 grams chopped pecans, toasted (see Tip)
- ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter
- 4ounces/113 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1½cups/150 grams powdered sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ¼ teaspoon fine salt
For the Cake
For the Frosting
Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with oil, then line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two of the sides to help lift the cake out of the pan, and grease again to prevent sticking.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the eggs to the oil mixture one at a time, whisking for about 1 minute between each addition, until the mixture is creamy and the sugar has mostly dissolved. Add the dry ingredients and whisk just until most of the flour has disappeared.
- Step 3
Using a spatula, fold in the sweet potato and ¾ cup of the chopped pecans until evenly distributed. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Step 4
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan slightly and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding it and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Step 5
While the cake cools, make the frosting: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble vigorously, turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bubbles turn foamy. When brown flecks appear beneath the foam, remove from the heat, transfer to a heat-safe bowl and let cool and solidify (see Tip). You want the cream cheese and butter to be room temperature before proceeding.
- Step 6
In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and brown butter on medium speed with a hand mixer until very smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt, and beat on low speed until everything is incorporated, then raise the speed to medium-high and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes until very smooth and fluffy.
- Step 7
Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake, and top with the remaining ¼ chopped pecans. Slice and serve immediately, and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To toast the pecans, spread them in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven until fragrant, about 10 minutes.
- To cool the brown butter faster, you can place it in the fridge for about 10 minutes, stirring well after 5 minutes. It should resolidify but still be quite soft.
Private Notes
Comments
I’d make it a Chantilly frosting but with more of a cream cheese frosting punch. Beat together 40 g butter (about 3 Tbsp), 40 g cream cheese (about 3 Tbsp), 65–75 g powdered sugar (⅔–¾ cup), a pinch of salt, and a splash of vanilla until smooth. In another bowl whip 120 g heavy cream (½ cup) with 60 g mascarpone (¼ cup) to soft peaks, then fold into the cream cheese base. Add more sugar as needed. Or lookup cream cheese IMBC! Lmk how it goes!
Yes--you'll want to use raw sweet potato that you grate and then add to the mix.
We worked on a farm in Ireland as youth; up at 6am, full breakfast, break at 10 for tea replete with cakes, lunch @ noon, 3pm, more tea and more cake, dinner of stew and potatoes and deserts. So, yes, people really do snack on cake.
Made 1/2 of the icing, and it was enough. Additionally reduced the powdered sugar in the icing, and everyone loved the result at a Thanksgiving dinner that also featured two excellent pecan pies, a bakery pumpkin pie, and a homemade sweet potato pie (round, unlike our snacking cake).
Would this work using puréed roasted sweet potatoes? If yes: how much of it would I use?
I rarely make cakes but this recipe caught my eye. Made it for a neighborhood gathering. The cake received rave reviews, some folx said it was the best cake they’d ever eaten. I think the frosting makes it stand out. I’m now the sweet potato cake person. Made exactly as written. Loved it!